Sunday, 30 October 2016

Complete Guide to Get a Dubai Visit Visa in Pakistan

Dubai has become one of the most favorite destinations of people around the world and one of the reasons behind it is tourism and even bigger reason is its economy that even though sees fluctuation however remains better than other economies in the region. There could be many reasons for visiting Dubai from visiting eye catching skyscrapers of Dubai, experiencing cross-cultural environment, analyzing market for business expansion or finding a better job in Dubai. You can do all this easily if you have a valid UAE VISA.
In Pakistan, many people are so innocent (or should I say isolated) that they think Dubai is some sort of independent country and you need specific Visa for Dubai. Just want to say to those people that all you need is a UAE VISA that would allow you to visit all 7 states of U.A.E. that includes Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujaira, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaima, Umm al-Qaiwain. These 7 states together make United Arab Emirates and all you need is a UAE Visa to visit all these states (Arabs call it Emirate instead of State though).

Now, since you have landed on this page with a wish to get Dubai Visit Visa information, allow me to tell you there are certain categories of Visit Visas. UAE Government has organized Visit Visas into three categories.

Long Term Visit Visa (3-month Visa)

Long Term
Visit Visa is a also one-time-entry visa that allows you to spend 90-days (3 months) in UAE. This is also allows you do job hunting in Dubai or in other states of UAE. You can look for business opportunities in UAE or can just enjoy your long term visit there. You must exit the country before your visit expires.

A 3 month visit visa will cost you between Rs. 35,000 to 40,000. As I said earlier, it depends on how much profit a travel agent can settle in your case.

Short Term Visit Visa (1-month Visa)

Short Term Visit Visa is a one-entry 30-days (1 month) Visit Visa which means you can only enter UAE once using this visa and can live in UAE for 30 days only, and you must leave UAE before your visit visa expires. You are allowed to look for job, search for potential business prospects, visit tourism destinations etc; however you are not allowed to work there on a visit visa.
Price of 1-month Dubai Visit Visa can vary between Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000. It depends on the travel agent what profit margin they would like to keep in your case.

Short Term Visit Visa (4 days)

This is a 4-days one-time-entry visa that allows you to stay in UAE for 4-days. This type of visit visa is normally ideal for people who visit UAE for business meetings or other short stays. This is the visit that offers you least number of days to stay in UAE and you must leave UAE before your visa expires.

Price of 2 week visit visa is between Rs. 9,000 to 12,000 and you can get it easily within this range as travel agents get modest profit on such visas as compare to other visas, but still, it depends on them how much profit they wish to earn from your case.

Where to go to get a UAE Visit Visa in Pakistan?

As my personal experience of getting a visa is from Lahore, so I can recommend you Shimla Pahari – a famous place in Lahore where there are so many offices of travel agents who are in this business for past many decades. Another best place is a plaza in front of FedEx office (near Sir Ganga Ram Hospital). That plaza is occupied by travel agents mostly, so it is good to go there too. Of course there are hundreds of offices in other parts of Lahore as well, and almost every city in Pakistan has travel agents and you can easily find them, however, in current circumstances of the country, it is relatively difficult to find a credible and authentic travel company to get a visa for UAE.

However, there are few tips to check if a travel agent is authentic or a may be fraud.

Check their license number (authentic travel companies normally mention their license number on their business cards, brochures, website, Facebook page etc)

Check their certificate (credible travel companies have IATA Certificate that is a world wide body for travel companies)

Check their presence on internet (see if they have a website, social media pages, check what other people are saying on this company’s Facebook page)

Ask how long they have been into this business

Check how many other cases they handle while you visit their office (you may have to visit a travel agent’s office a number of times if they are processing your visa case)

Moving further, one of the worst thing in the process is, many agents (almost all, if you do not know them personally), ask for a cash guarantee of giving you visa, and ask you for a pay order or bank draft drawn on their company’s name, of a certain amount (that can also vary from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 150,000), and promise you to give you back when you return. They say it is to make sure that the person would come back before its visit visa expires, because when a person do not return before expiry, travel company will have to pay a fine to UAE government for sending such people who avoid visa policy.

However, a few travel agents can compromise on this term if you make them sure that you are a legitimate person who would surely come back before expiry of visit visa, and you pay them a little more money with visa fee, for example, if they were charging you Rs. 37,000 for a 3-month visit visa with Rs. 125,000 guarantee, and you make them understand that you cannot afford to deposit 125,000, they might understand your case and free you from depositing that much amount, and charge you a few thousand more with visa fee. One of my friends got his 3 month visit visa for Rs. 44,000 without depositing any cash, while I got my visit visa for Rs. 37,000 with a Rs. 125,000 bank draft. I got my Rs. 125,000 back as I returned before expiry of my visit visa.

I did not specifically recommend any particular travel agent so it won’t give any impression as if I am getting any benefit from some travel company. So, you do it yourself and find a travel agent, however if you have tried enough and fail to find a good travel company, you can contact me and I’d guide you on that. If you have read the whole post up to this point, I can understand how badly you need a visit visa, and I wish you best of luck, and do not hesitate to ask me for any help.